Political correctness is no crime

Demeaning political correctness has been in vogue for some time now, and Donald Trump has made it go viral. What is so bad about political correctness?

To me, it is nothing more than expressing things in the public arena in a way that is factual, meaningful and respectful. We have to be able to discuss anything, and we have to listen to each other. If we expect others to go beyond the first sentence before tuning us out, then we must do so respectfully. All of our institutions ,as well as individuals, must be able to carry on a moving discourse if we are to solve problems and differences. I don’t see any problem in doing so in a politically correct manner.

The problem isn’t in the correctness; it’s in the political-ness. Unfortunately, the political community has evolved as the ultimate master of spin and coiner of sound bites. The media has become enamored with serving it all up in a non-stop assault on our eyes, ears and minds.

The perceptions that are created play into the agenda of the politicians, often against the best interest of the voters. The business of serving it all up makes the otherwise bland presentation of “news” much more colorful while filling the media’s coffers with advertising revenues. The constant bombardment of untrue statements even has a name, cognitive dissonance, I believe. Due to the fact that the majority of us tune to media which tends to support the way we feel, we have all in effect become brainwashed and hopelessly divided.

In my opinion we - not the Caucasian race, not the African American race, not the Asian race, not the Hispanic race, we - the human race - are on the cusp of so many historically affecting consequences of our success and our failures. At this crucial point, we cannot afford very many missteps.

Irrational leadership could not just be damaging; it could be terminal. So please vote and please take the time to understand to the best of your ability and to become informed. Government in a democracy is supposed to advocate in the best interest of the most while protecting the rights of all. Who can navigate outcomes that are good for the most while being damaging to the least and do it without a selfish motive, that is the spirit of democracy.

The writer lives in Conway.

This story was originally published October 14, 2016 at 4:34 PM with the headline "Political correctness is no crime."